J Megan Smith, Author at J. Megan Smith

Blackstar Guardian Lexicon

Why are they called Blackstar Guardians

To power parts of the universe, the Creators made 10 Energy Stars-all with different colors. Cadrian, born within the Blackstar, is its protector. When he began recruiting honorable men and women to help him with the task using his Gift of soul searching, he named them 'Blackstar Guardians'. As new Guardians, they were given enhanced senses, a magically created sword and a frosted glass ring with a black image of a sword with a round obsidian surrounded by a swirl of stars as a way for others to identify them. Blackstar Guardians are deeply protective, inherently honorable, and courageous warriors who protect not only the Blackstar, but the people who reside on it.

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The Blackstar World

Uncategorized / J Megan Smith

Creators

The Creators are the designer and builders of the universe. Like layers of a quilt, they are continually adding on sections to the universe and overseeing all within it so everything continues to progress with their plan. A pair of Heavenly Parents, their first children were called Ancients (overseers of the universe), Dragons (keepers of all magic), and Watchers (warriors/protectors). All other races stem from these original children. Because they want the best for their children, they have paired everyone with a Seraphin (a perfectly matched partner) and placed a piece of each pair's soul in the other one so they will recognize their Seraphin when they meet. But, because they allow their children the gift of choice, each pair can choose to accept or reject the Seraphin bond.

The Light Realm

The Light Realm is a dimension of sunlight, seasons, beauty and life. The Blackstar (the alternative earth that most of my stories take place on) is here. Magic and all races flourish here, making it the most desirable of all realms. Part of the Blackstar Guardians mandate is to protect the Light Realm and all within it. It is a place of variety with large continents and island nations filled with beautiful environments and communities of magical races as well as areas with frequent storms and sea monsters such as the Feraine Ocean.

The Night Realm

The Night Realm is a place of perpetual night, ranging from twilight blue to darkest black. Ruled by the Dark Ones (children of the Creators who rebelled and used their magic to oppress and dominate and who were banished there as punishment) in individual kingdoms, it is a harsh place where magic is corrupted and trust is hard to find. Life is a constant struggle and many are desperate to find a way out. Long ago, portals to the Light Realm (and subsequently, to the Blackstar) were discovered and many have tried to use them as a means of escape or as a tool of nefarious purposes. Those who succeed in crossing the portals to the Light Realm tend to be nocturnal there as they're used to the twilight skies of the Night Realm.

The Shadow Realm

The Shadow Realm exists within both the Light and Night Realms and is a world of black, white, and gray. For those who pass on and are ready to meet their reward, it is a peaceful, temporary holding place as they await judgement before going either to the Elysian Isles or to Oblivion. While rare, it is possible for the living to enter but for them it is a disorientating place full of shadows and wind and voices that come from everywhere and nowhere. The exception is for those who have a Gift that allows them to walk through the Shadow Realm or converse with spirits. Ghosts are spirits of those who haven't yet-or who refuse-to move on and they can interact with those in the L & D Realms but generally only those with a Gift can see them.

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Multi-book Fantasy Romances you need to read

Uncategorized / J Megan Smith

Light fantasy romance is always my go-to when I want to settle back with a good read designed to take me away from ‘real’ life for a while. If there’s some actual magic in the story, so much the better. It’s become increasingly easier to find closed-door authors with a style that brings me back to their work time after time and I thought I’d share a few just in case you’re on the hunt too.

For this post, I’m sharing 3 authors with multi-book story arcs. They’re all light, closed-door romantasy with a happily ever after at the end. I hope you enjoy!

First off is one of my all-time favorite authors-Lynn Kurland. I’ve been reading-and collecting on my keeper shelf-her books for onwards of fifteen years. Her Nine Kingdoms series is a fantasy romance with magic and is just fantastic. The atmosphere is reminsicent of LOTR with elves, mages, humans and dwarves but it’s lighter in nature and each book set focuses on a main couple.

The White Spell kicks off this set, with The Dreamers Song and The Prince of Souls finishing it off.

The hero, Acair, has spent his life trying to convince others-and himself-that he’s a dangerous black mage to be feared. And while he is feared and powerful, he can’t seem to stop himself from ‘do-gooding’ at times. He is a fun, surprisingly likeable character who is snarky, funny, with some bluff & bluster, but deep down wants to be loved and accepted for who he is.

Leirsinn has no magic and a painful past but is content taking care of the horses she has charge of. She is courageous, plucky and willing to make personal sacrifices for those she loves. She sees Acair as the complicated man he is, with all the good and bad, and not only accepts, but loves him for it. Both characters are likeable and I found myself rooting for them through their adventures.

The romance is slow-burn and gentle with swoony moments interspersed within that I’ve re-read over and over again. There are also returning characters from previous books that add depth and humor to the story.

Next up is K.M. Shea. She write contemporary fantasy/paranormals based in a magic centered city in the midwest. She writes in first person, which I don’t always love, but tends to switch off views between Heroine/hero so you get both perspectives. Her books are full of humor, snark, and well-developed worlds.

The Crown of Shadows is the first book in the Court of Midnight and Deception, followed by Crown of Moonlight and finished with The Queen’s Crown.

Leila turned her back on her Fae heritage, choosing to embrace her human half but finds herself the unwilling queen of the night court when she is chosen by the Night Mares. Leila is a great character-funny, unfailingly kind, animal-lover. She reluctantly agrees to take charge of a court that is in debt, riddled with fae that don’t like her both in her and other courts and almost daily assassination attempts. Through it all, she keeps her positive outlook and is strong enough to tug her stuck-in-the-past court members into a good place. Oh, and she ends up in a marriage of convenience with the original assassin who tried to take her out before she officially became queen….

For the romance aspect, it’s very slow-burn and we just get some light kisses at the end, but the couple themselves are snarky with each other and learn to not only, truly like, but love each other. Their scenes together are fun to read and in the end you’re cheering for them to suceed.

And, to round this out, is a set by Tara Grayce. Her Elven Alliance series begins with Fierce Heart, War Bound and Death Wind. The titles sound dire, but her writing style is generally light with some humor.

These are set in an alternate world that mixes fantasy with steampunk (sounds weird, but it works). The elves (living in a kingdom of mostly nature) and the humans (who are in a victorian era/steampunk land) have been enemies for a long time. As a last ditch effort for peace, a marriage of alliance is made between Essie and Farrendel. Essie is bright, unfailingly cheerful and chatty-facing the challenge of living in a completely foreign culture with a stranger for a husband with determination and a chattiness that quickly endears her to her new husband. Farrendel, on the other hand, is very shy and, despite being a formidable warrior, struggles with some inner demons.

The first two books are light-hearted and deal with the two of them navigating their new marriage as well as their opposite cultures and family dynamics as well as a growing threat from the trolls and discovering there are traitors in both their kingdoms. The third book takes a decidedly heavier turn as Farrendel is captured and tortured by the trolls and the three kingdoms go to war. Tara has a talent for highlighting heavier themes but doing it with a light touch so I never felt like it was too dark (though, the torture scenes weren’t graphic, I did feel like it went on too long and he should have been rescued much earlier than he was). By the time the book finished, I felt ensured that the two would have their happily ever after.

If you finished here, I think you would be satisfied but the author extended the series with other couples but included more to Essie and Farrendel’s romance in each of those as well. She also put out several short-story compilations which were fun. I really liked the one where it had several stories of them with their children.

So there you have it! Three 3-book light, humorous romantasy books to enjoy that will take you away from the daily grind and leave you smiling at the end. And…a little self-promotion here…if you like light, humor romantasy, I invite you to check out my books as well.

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An Enchanting Yuletide

Holiday Books, The Oaken, Uncategorized / J Megan Smith

Two Souls hoping for forever…

Lady Serena Davenport knew her life would never be the same when she walked into Raice Waterstone’s office and found her soul reaching for the man across the desk. And, after meeting him secretly for months, knew her future was meant to be tied to his. Now, she just needed to convince her family…

Raice Waterstone had built a publishing empire by sheer grit and determination but had never been able to erase the secret desire hidden inside for a family of his own. Then Serena walked through his door and he knew that she was meant to be his-she was the family he ached for. But the Davenports were high Echelon and the odds that they’d allow one of their daughters to marry a man who’d grown up in the rookies was slim.

A plan to use some Christmas Magic…

Unwilling to let anything keep them apart, Serena comes up with a plan to convince her family and give Raice his first real Christmas by having her sister-in-law invite him to the Davenport family Christmas house party.

Now, amidst a family holiday filled with frosty air, sleigh bells, and over-protective brothers, they both hope that Christmas will work its magic and give them both what they want…a future together.

Light historical holiday fantasy romance with humor, heart, and a swirl of magic!

Closed-Door Romance

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J Megan Smith